🏎🏎

you found it adorable how he got you a big bouquet for your first date; the random mixture of colors and flowers felt odd but when he showed off his smile and told you that he picked them out himself in the store, you saw another kind of beauty in the gift. and from there on, it has been tradition for him to arrive at your doorstep with flowers.

he is not aware that he's the first guy who's ever bought flowers for you, and he is not aware that it isn't common to do it every date. when you first told him that he didn't need to get you flowers every time you see each other, he was confused – they do it in the movies, why wouldn't he do it? but even after learning that it isn't as common as he thought, he has not stopped.

it doesn't matter when, where or how – he's always got flowers for you. picking you up to go out for dinner? flowers. meeting up in town for a date? flowers. even when you visit him at races, he makes sure to have a bouquet ready for you when you arrive at the track. and another one at the hotel.

he may not know every etiquette or the meaning behind every flower, but he always puts a lot of thought into the selection, and it warms your heart when you hear him explain the thoughts and ideas that go into the personalized present. and giving you the flowers brings him just as much joy as receiving them does to you, so it's a win-win situation.

comforting him after tough races…

racing is tough. it's especially tough when you go from being on top of the world after winning both races in baku, to not even getting a single point in the following race weekend.

ollie would know.

it's a version of ollie that's exhausted, both physically and mentally, that comes back to the hotel with you after the feature race. he was so close to the points, but in the end, it wasn't enough. and after a weekend this long and filled with this many disappointing results, ollie needs nothing more than to just let go of it all – and you're always good at helping him do just that.

you don't push him, you don't have to discuss it if he doesn't want to, and you most definitely won't tell him where he screwed up or what he needs to learn. you don't base his worth off his performances; to you, he's your ollie no matter what. and sometimes he just needs a reminder of that.

the prema staff are out celebrating, as are most of the other drivers, with ollie's teammate being the one everyone's adoring for the day. but he can't stand it, there is no way he would be able to gather enough energy to party. so instead, he opts for staying in with you. he lets your hands roam through his newly washed hair as you cuddle up on the bed, some random show playing on the tv. the lights are dimmed and his arms are wrapped around your waist, squeezing you tighter when you place sweet kisses to his forehead. he nuzzles his head into the crook of your neck, deep sighs passing through his lips. he thanks you; for not caring about his results, for picking up his scattered pieces when he breaks apart, for always being there for him.

and you thank him back; you thank him for being yours. because without him, how would you know what real love feels like?

…but also celebrating good ones with him

things can switch around fast in racing. in monaco, everything felt oh so dark, but a week later in barcelona? ollie is on cloud nine.

pole position, points in the sprint and a win in the feature? barcelona was almost as good as baku, but the relief of doing it right after the horrible weekend in monaco meant so much more. the relief of confirming that baku wasn’t just a fluke; that he is made for being up on the podium.

celebrations after a good race can go in different ways with ollie. no matter if it means going out and partying with his fellow drivers, having dinner in a fancy restaurant in town with the team, or just resting back at the hotel, he feels so much better when he has you by his side. he feels more comfortable and relaxed, and proud to have such a wonderful person cheering only for him.

the only thing he really needs after a successful race, though, is a big hug from you. he wants to squeeze you, lift you off the ground and answer your little squeals with his sweet laughter. he wants to thank you for supporting him, for being there as his lucky charm. with you by his side, he feels unstoppable.

excited facetime calls

ollie is definitely the type of boyfriend to get extremely excited over small things, and his first instinct is to call you and tell you about it.

practice went great? he needs to call you and tell you about the parts of the track that felt extra good. he finished watching the show you recommended to him? he must discuss the season finale instantly. something funny happened at a fda meeting? he wants to see your smile face when he tells you about it.

it doesn't matter if he needs to wait until you're done with school or work, and it doesn't matter if he needs to stay up until late because he's in another time zone. he really just wants to feel as close to you as he can, even if he's further away than ever.

it's also the perfect medicine for him to not miss you as much when he's away. when things get too tough, he knows you're never further than a call away. when he needs to be comforted, consoled, encouraged, you're always there for him to help him through it.

though, a lot of the times, calling you just makes him miss you more; he's reminded of how cute you look, how lovely your laugh sounds, how much he loves you. he wishes he could just have you in his arms again.

him getting you a promise ring

having a boyfriend who's practically married to his job is never easy, but it's especially hard when his workplaces are multiple random tracks all over the world. it's especially hard when that job forces him to live in another country, several hours away from you.

although you're able to visit him sometimes, and also attend some races every once in a while, it doesn't always feel like enough. it's easy to get jealous of other couples who are able to see each other every day. it's not weird to wonder if things will actually work out for you and ollie, if you'll be able to get through this long distance relationship and if he'll still be there for you once you graduate school.

you aren't even sure if you'll be able to, or want to, just drop everything and follow ollie around the world once you graduate. living as a driver's partner is cool, but you also might want to do something else in your life.

there is only one race on the calendar that you are always guaranteed to visit ollie during – silverstone. this year, you haven't seen ollie for several weeks when it's time to finally watch him drive on the iconic circuit of his home race. your boyfriend doesn't have the best weekend result-wise, and he seems almost distracted or nervous about something. after the feature race is over, he pulls you away to his driver's room, helping you sit down on the bed before he starts rummaging through his bag. he pulls something out of it before walking over to you, crouching down in front of you. "i have something for you."

you raise your eyebrows at him and he holds out a little jewelry bag to you. "ollie, what is this?" you ask as you open the bag to reveal a shining, golden ring. and when you take it out, you notice the most important detail; it has the letter 'o' engraved into it.

"it's a promise ring," he says, his soft eyes watching as your adoration for the ring continues to grow with every moment you look at it. "the promise being that..." he pauses for a moment. he has planned this out for weeks, imagined it in his mind many times; and yet, it's more emotional and special than he'd anticipated. "i'll wait for you. no matter how long it takes."

you look up from the ring to see his sweet smile, and you instantly take notice of how his hands are trembling slightly. you reach forward to take one of them in your own hand, nodding encouragingly as he continues to speak.

"i promise to always show up to your doorstep with flowers."

you giggle at his words, giving his hand a squeeze.

"and most importantly," the look on his face grows more serious now. "i promise that i'm yours." he takes a deep breath. "even when we're miles apart, even when i'm on the other side of the globe. i'm yours," the smile he shows you has the butterflies in your stomach multiplying by the second and your eyes tearing up just the slightest. "and i wouldn't wanna be anyone else's."